i know a guy named nick. and nick helped out with the ladies learning code photoshop workshop that i took. nick thought that my co-jamie and i were the bestest photoshop students he had ever seen (he's not biased - we were pretty outright good).
and then, nick and i stayed in touch over twitter. he likely shook his head at my tweets, and i often viewed photos of his perfect kicks, and we dabbled in men's fashion criticism even.
and now, nick has developed (with his brothers) a solid foundation of a streetwear clothing line. mixing talents between all of them (which i assume includes gourmet food at their launch events - hunh nick? hint hint) they've gathered some followers starting from a small group of friends, leading to a solid base of those who want what they have to offer.
LUCKILY (for you! but mostly for me), i have an in. nick (kind of) likes me, and was willing to do a quasi interview...
jamie - so. a couple of questions - if you have a second! first... the administrative: who is 'hiotis', what talent and training do you guys come from, where the heck do you guys design out of?
and then, nick and i stayed in touch over twitter. he likely shook his head at my tweets, and i often viewed photos of his perfect kicks, and we dabbled in men's fashion criticism even.
and now, nick has developed (with his brothers) a solid foundation of a streetwear clothing line. mixing talents between all of them (which i assume includes gourmet food at their launch events - hunh nick? hint hint) they've gathered some followers starting from a small group of friends, leading to a solid base of those who want what they have to offer.
LUCKILY (for you! but mostly for me), i have an in. nick (kind of) likes me, and was willing to do a quasi interview...
jamie - so. a couple of questions - if you have a second! first... the administrative: who is 'hiotis', what talent and training do you guys come from, where the heck do you guys design out of?
nick - Hiotis is a lifestyle and streetwear brand
headed by myself and my younger brothers. Our backgrounds are all over the
place! We are in design, international business, marketing and sales. One of us
also happens to be a chef and specializes in french cuisine - This has proven
to be clutch.
Though I am based out of Toronto, Hiotis definitely
has a strong point in Ottawa. This is where we are from and where most of our
followers happen to be located.
the beginnings of the hiotis brand
j - what first started you on your creative journey - were you an artistic child, or did it come from a want for unique things? did it start in clothing, or in another medium?
n - My medium of choice has always been Web and Mobile platforms. I'm very much a "digital" designer. Funny enough, clothing might have been one of the things I cared least about for most of my life.
As a child I would spend whole afternoons sketching cartoon characters and action figures I owned. I loved to draw! Once I got my first computer I immediately developed an interest for Web/Graphic Design. At the age of 13 I discovered I could actually get paid to design and started freelancing for local businesses. I still remember being offered my first paid contract. It was surreal. I totally remember blowing all of that money on candy with my brothers immediately after...
tshirt designs - the basics
j - how did hiotis as a brand start?
n - Hiotis, though a very new brand, developed itself over quite a long period of time. For the longest time I had a very passive appreciation for streetwear. So passive in fact that I'm fairly sure even my closest friends had no idea I followed it. I had learned to study and appreciate it from the sidelines. And I was happy doing this for quite some time. I never really fit in with the streetwear/fashion crowd anyway (I'm really not that cool). It wasn't until recently that I decided to take a more active approach towards my appreciation for streetwear and use clothing as another medium for which I could explore and learn about.
It's one thing to consume things you're interested in. It's another thing to produce.
I decided during the summer of 2012 that I was going to approach [Hiotis] as a side project. The goal of the project was simple: Produce a single t-shirt I could wear by the time the summer was over. The real goal of the project was, and still is, to learn more about the process of creating a real physical product from start to finish, through the medium of clothing. Though I followed streetwear, I knew absolutely nothing about the process and the steps it takes to produce something myself. By the end of the summer I had accomplished my goal. However, rather than producing 1 t-shirt I had designed 4 and produced 15 t-shirts from each design. Somewhat by accident, I had generated a lot of interest from friends. Eventually I had made the decision to sell all sixty shirts. And from that point on Hiotis as a brand, and as a business, had kicked off.
I was also incredibly fortunate enough to involve my two younger brothers in this project.
It is just as much their project as it is mine at this point. Leveraging our different specialities has proven to yield amazing results. Family is everything to me and ultimately this is what makes Hiotis.
the men in charge - sorry nick, i had to. (from nick's instagram)
"Brothers Over Business" isn't just a slogan we use, it is the cornerstone of what our brand represents. It is what makes us unique and truly authentic to both ourselves and our followers.
'live fast, die you' (my fave slogan from hiotis)
j - can you give us an idea of 'a day in the life' now that you have hiotis on the go?
n - Hiotis remains, for the time being, a side project. I do work full-time for a design agency in Toronto. As such I manage all Hiotis related work in the nights I'm free! I'll admit it does get crazy sometimes, as I feel like once again I'm living two completely different lives. However I strongly believe approaching Hiotis as a side project has really benefited both myself and the people I'm collaborating with. I spend my days and nights working on creative problems for completely different mediums. Keeps things fresh!
And really at the end of the day, there really is no goal other than to learn, have fun and creating something dope.
I am fortunate enough to not have to worry about money so there's really no pressure on myself, or the people willing to collaborate with me, to push out anything in order to make a quick buck. Money is no object in this project.
j - what can we expect from hiotis in the future - both near and further away?
n - I feel like Hiotis, as a business, has hit a really sweet spot. It's now completely funded on itself while also being new enough to not be under any real pressure. Hiotis is definitely the "underdog" right now. I like that! I feel like there's really nothing we can do wrong at this point, so it's worth exploring anything we feel like. The only people we need to impress at this point is ourselves.
As an immediate goal we are working to get a proper website/shop set up for October 31st. We are also currently working to release a Spring/Summer 2013 collection. Afterwards, who knows! I am very excited to see how this project continues to evolve.
hiotis tags, ready for clothes
j - what are your personal styles? how did this influence hiotis?
n - Though I can't speak for my brothers on this one, I would say my personal style is more casual professional. I'm definitely a sucker for nice sweaters, dress shirts and sperry's. Don't hate. I like to look nice when I can! My own personal style doesn't really influence Hiotis.
Hiotis is more or less influenced from our interests rather than our personal styles. Elements of skateboarding, hiphop, youth and all the other things that come with this (I'll keep it clean here!). This keeps what we push out authentic to us. Where I would say my personal style intersects with what Hiotis represents, is that I do want people to feel like they look nice! I want Hiotis to feel like a higher brand of streetwear.
j - and finally... just because it's my blog, and i'm nosy! what is your favourite..... drink. food. place to eat in TO. fae music. and of course, fave place to go out in the city?
i adore nick. he makes me laugh, and his integrity and thought process in regards to what he puts out under his name is admirable. there aren't enough people who care about the process from start to finish anymore - with DIY, pinterest, etc. sometimes we lose a lot of what makes small ventures good. the heart. the design. the creativity. the learning. and the authenticity.
you can find some of the fine hiotis men's thought process here. you can follow them on twitter here. OR follow nick here. and dudes - hiotis is going to be holding a very limited preview sale of their S/S 2013 shirts, October 31st at www.hiotis.com. do. not. miss. out.